Don’t Look Down by Barbara Scott-Emmett
Don’t Look Down
opens with a scene which is only resolved at the end of the novel, giving us an
immediate hook. We have to keep reading to find who, what and why.
Lauren Keane flies to Germany to visit an old friend, Katti
Hauer. But Katti is missing and her brother, Wolf, with whom Lauren shares a
past blighted by a broken love affair, meets Lauren’s flight in Katti’s place.
Lauren and Katti look very much alike, especially when Lauren is wearing Katti’s
clothes. As a result, she is mistaken for Katti and kidnapped in her place. Lauren
must fight for her life and sanity, while also trying to find and save her
missing friend.
The plot has many layers, leaving Lauren not knowing who is
friend and who is foe. Revenge, the sex trade, drugs and people trafficking all
combine to give us a complex plot and plenty of reasons for the characters to produce
twist after twist.
The story is set against a bitter winter backdrop and Scott-Emmett
brings Nuremberg and the surrounding area vividly to life. From the moment the
heroine, Lauren Keane, leaves the airport on her arrival the settings are
flawless. Not once did the descriptions of town and country feel intrusive,
they simply added depth to the storytelling.
The characterisation is good and the hero, Wolf Hauer, is
gorgeous enough for fall for, but not so overwhelmingly handsome that he doesn’t
seem real. Let’s put it this way, I wouldn’t mind riding pillion on his bike as
Lauren does at the beginning of the novel.
The book was marred (very) slightly for me by guessing
correctly early on who the mole was, but this didn’t spoil my overall
enjoyment of what was a very entertaining read.
2 comments:
Thank you so much, Lorraine.
Great review!
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